Administrative Scheme for the “On the Runs” Independent Review

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the review being conducted by Lady Justice Hallett into the “on the runs” administrative scheme will be published in full without any deletions or redactions.

Baroness Randerson: If possible the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland intends to publish the report in its entirety, as she receives it from Lady Justice Hallett.
	Lady Justice Hallett may make minor and necessary deletions or redactions of her own (for example where revealing certain details might impact on future criminal proceedings) prior to releasing the report to the Secretary of State.
	Were the Secretary of State to reach a view, following advice from legal advisers or officials, that a further redaction to the text were legally necessary, she would consult Lady Justice Hallett.
	In the unlikely event that a redaction by the Secretary of State was deemed to be necessary, this would be made clear on the face of the report.

Bangladesh

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to ask the government of Bangladesh to investigate reports of an attack on a vehicle carrying members of the International Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission in Rangamati on 6 July.

Baroness Warsi: We monitor the ongoing tensions in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region closely and are aware of the incident reported in Rangamati. We condemn all acts of violence and call on the Bangladeshi authorities to investigate all such incidents promptly, transparently and impartially. At Bangladesh’s second Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council on 29 April 2013 the British Government urged the Government of Bangladesh to fulfil its commitment to fully implement the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord which will provide greater security to indigenous populations by establishing political and social rights and providing a mechanism for resolving land disputes.

Banks: Pay

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the eventual cost to HM Treasury of the European Union's proposed bonus caps should it be enforced in the United Kingdom.

Lord Deighton: The ‘bonus cap’ provisions of the Capital Requirements Directive came into force at the beginning of 2014. Given this short time period, an estimate of the Exchequer impact of the cap cannot be made.
	The ‘bonus cap’ was introduced by the European Parliament into the CRD4 package without an appropriate economic impact assessment. This is part of the reason the UK is challenging this measure in the European Court of Justice.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why it was a requirement that there should be access to only 70 per cent of the land area of the badger culling pilots; and whether that percentage was achieved in each of the two counties involved in the pilots.

Lord De Mauley: As set out in Guidance to Natural England, applications for culling licences were required to have access for culling to at least 70% of the total land area in the application. This is based on evidence from the Randomised Badger Culling Trial. In issuing a licence to each area in autumn 2012, Natural England confirmed that the applications from West Somerset and Gloucestershire had met this condition.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to share the revenues from the sale of the domain name .io with the people of the Chagos Archipelago including the descendants of those who were evicted from the islands.

Baroness Warsi: In much the same way as the .uk domain, the administration of the .io domain has always been carried out by a private sector organisation – this is currently the Internet Computer Bureau. As with the .uk domain, the Government receives no revenues from the sales or administration of this domain, and there are therefore no plans to share these with Chagossians.

Burma

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what if at all is the funding shortfall for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Burma; and what additional funding the Department for International Development is providing to fill any funding gap.

Baroness Northover: DFID officials are in regular contact with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Burma. We have not been made aware of any critical funding shortfall for UNHCR, and have not been approached to fill any funding gap. DFID already provides a significant amount of humanitarian funding, including to UNHCR, for work with internally displaced people in Burma.

Central African Republic

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider assisting the international community in its fight against international trafficking originating from the Central African Republic, by creating a mechanism to fight against diamond, gold, and ivory trafficking and militarised poaching.

Baroness Warsi: International mechanisms to tackle illegal trafficking already exist, including the Kimberley Process to regulate the global trade in rough diamonds, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species to protect endangered species. However, these are reliant of having an effective national government in the Central African Republic (CAR). To this end, our immediate priority is to de-escalate the levels of violence and improve the level of security, so that a legitimate government can be established in CAR with the support of the UN and other international organisations.

Corporation Tax: Northern Ireland

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when a decision on the devolution of corporation tax-setting powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly will be made.

Baroness Randerson: I refer the Noble Lord to my Written Ministerial Statement of 3 July, Official Report, Columns WS164 & WS165.
	‘Building a Prosperous and United Community: One Year On’ confirmed that the Government remains on course to make a final decision no later than the 2014 Autumn Statement.

Counter-terrorism

Lord Noon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the counter-terrorism budget for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was in each year since 2010; and how much they are budgeting for the current year.

Baroness Warsi: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) budget for counter terrorism work is comprised of a range of funding streams, as well as being incorporated into the overall approach taken to assist priority counter-terrorism partner countries.
	The main fund for terrorism-related assistance is the Counter Terrorism Programme Fund (CTPF). The tri-departmental (FCO, Ministry of Defence, Department for International Development) Conflict Pool supports complementary work in some fragile and conflict-affected states by tackling the root causes of terrorism through upstream conflict prevention activities. As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement on 24 June 2014, Official Report, column WS107-108, total conflict resources for the financial year 2014-15 have increased to £683 million, of which £239m has been allocated to the Conflict pool.
	The budget for the CTPF for the financial years 2010-11 to 2013-14 was £38 million / £38 million / £36 million / £30 million respectively. The administration budget for CTD from the financial years 2010-11 to 2013-14 was £340,500 / £572,500 / £345,000 / £237,500 respectively. The administration budget for CTD in 2014-15 is £211,000. A Written Ministerial Statement will follow on the FCO Strategic Programme Fund allocation for 2014-15, which will include the CTPF.

Developing Countries: Sustainable Development

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the inclusion of a sustainable development goal to reduce inequality within and among countries by 2030 on the list of proposals being considered by United Nations member states.

Baroness Northover: The UK supports a focus on “leaving no one behind” across the post-2015 framework, as was recommended by the High Level Panel Report on the post-2015 development agenda, which was co-chaired by the Prime Minister.
	In practice, “leaving no one behind” means that targets must be met across all income and social groups.
	Language on inequality is included in the most recent draft list of goals and targets released by the co-chairs of the Open Working Group (OWG) on 2 June. The final goals and targets in the post-2015 development framework will however be subject to international negotiations in the United Nations, in which the UK will play an active role.

Egypt

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the preliminary assessment of the European Union's election observation mission to Egypt on 29 May, which claimed that the presidential election in Egypt was administered in an environment that fell short of the principles of the new constitution.

Baroness Warsi: The European Union election observation mission to Egypt issued a preliminary statement on 29 May. Their headline assessment was “Presidential elections administered in line with the law, in an environment falling short of constitutional principles”. We followed the presidential election closely and staff from our Cairo Embassy took part in the EU’s Electoral Observation Mission. The EU Observation Mission will issue its full report in due course.
	The EU Observation Mission reflected concern about the Egyptian public’s ability to express political dissent and exercise freedom of speech or association. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), raised these concerns in the run up to the elections with his Egyptian counterpart, most recently on 14 May, and in a statement on 3 June. We look to President Sisi to take steps to implement the rights contained in Egypt’s constitution by opening up political space, especially with regard to freedom of expression and association.

Egypt

The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the European Union's support for partnership, reforms and inclusive growth and the impact that it is having in consolidating democratic reform and institution-building in Egypt.

Baroness Warsi: The EU has made considerable efforts to support political transition in Egypt since 2011, through its European Neighbourhood Policy and “Support for Partnership, Reforms and Inclusive Growth” (SPRING) funding.
	In their report on the 2014 European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) package, ‘Neighbourhood at a Crossroads: Taking Stock of a Year of Challenges’ issued in March 2014, the European External Access Service and Commission found that no significant progress had been made towards the current ENP action plan in 2013 and most of the recommendations made in last year’s report were still relevant. It found that Egypt needed to make improvements in key areas, such as to ensure the constitution is implemented with full respect for human rights, create conditions for an active civil society, and ensure the protection of women’s rights and gender equality. Since this report the EU also provided an Election Observation Mission to monitor Presidential elections in May 2014.
	An initial amount of €90 million was allocated in 2011-12 to Egypt from the EU’s SPRING funds, part of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI). Subsequent political and human rights developments meant that no further funding from this mechanism was allocated to Egypt at that time.

European Union

Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 30 June (WA 213), whether they will respond to Lord Stoddart of Swindon's question about ever-closer union.

Baroness Warsi: The Written Answer by Lord Freud on 30 June (WA 213) referred to the business of the 19 June Council meeting. The noble Lord may be interested to note that the concept of ever closer union was covered in the 26/27 June European Council conclusions which stated that “the European Council noted that the concept of ever closer union allows for different paths of integration for different countries, allowing those that want to deepen integration to move ahead, while respecting the wish of those who do not want to deepen any further”. I also refer the noble Lord to the Prime Minister’s Statement to the House of 30 June regarding the European Council.

Financial Services: EU Action

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the eventual cost to HM Treasury of the European Union's proposed Alternative Investment Fund Managers' Directive should it be enforced in the United Kingdom.

Lord Deighton: The Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) entered into force on 22 July 2013.
	Costs or benefits to the Exchequer as a result of the AIFMD will result from commercial decisions that have yet to be taken by investment management firms as to whether the regulatory cost of doing business in the UK against other jurisdictions leads them to increase or decrease their activity here. Therefore no reliable assessment can be made at this time. Nevertheless the Government will continue to monitor the effects of AIFMD on the UK investment management industry.
	The Government has worked closely with industry to ensure that the requirements of AIFMD have been applied in as proportionate manner as possible so as to cause minimal disruption to UK firms and to maintain the UK’s competitive status as a global fund management centre.
	An impact assessment estimating the costs to UK business was published alongside the implementing regulations. It is publically available on the www.legislation .gov.uk website.

Financial Services: EU Action

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the eventual cost to HM Treasury of the European Union's proposed Prospectus Directive should it be enforced in the United Kingdom.

Lord Deighton: The Prospectus Directive 2003/71/EC was proposed by the European Commission on 30 May 2001. The Directive was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 31 December 2003 and was transposed into UK law before entering into force on 1 July 2005.
	The Prospectus Directive was updated by the Amending Directive 2010/73/EU on 11 December 2010. The Amending Directive was transposed into UK law in The Prospectus Regulations 2012.
	The Government published an Impact Assessment, which covers costs, alongside the Explanatory Memorandum to these Regulations. It is publically available on the www.legislation.gov.uk website.

Financial Services: EU Action

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the eventual cost to HM Treasury of the European Union's proposed ban on short selling should it be enforced in the United Kingdom.

Lord Deighton: There is no proposed ban on short selling of securities so it is not possible for the Government to assess the costs.
	The Short Selling Regulation, which came into force on 1 November 2012, is an EU-wide Regulation that lays down a common regulatory framework for powers and requirements related to the short selling of securities. In particular, it gives powers to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to ban or impose restrictions on short selling of securities in certain circumstances, as well as impose the requirement on investors to disclose net short positions (both publicly, and privately to the FCA).

Financial Services: EU Action

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the eventual cost to HM Treasury of the European Union's proposed restriction of euroclearing to eurozone clearing houses should it be enforced in the United Kingdom.

Lord Deighton: The Government cannot opine on the potential cost of the ECB’s location policy if enforced in the UK, until the Court of the European Union has ruled on this matter in a legal challenge brought by the UK.
	The UK has brought this challenge because, if imposed, the policy would require UK-based and other non-Eurozone CCPs to relocate to the Euro area. We believe this breaches principles of EU law and the Single Market.

Financial Services: Taxation

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the eventual cost to HM Treasury of the European Union's proposed financial transaction tax should it be enforced in the United Kingdom.

Lord Deighton: It is likely that any eventual FTT directive will be significantly different to, and narrower than, the current draft proposal. We will assess any revised proposal carefully against our concerns.

Further Education: Finance

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that adequate funds are allocated to further education colleges.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Further Education colleges receive funding in respect of both young people aged 16-19 and adult learners aged 19 and over. We set out government priorities for adult skills provision annually in the Skills Funding Statement[1], with the Department for Education setting out its priorities in a letter to the Sector[2].
	As independent autonomous organisations it is for college governing bodies to ensure value for money by designing an appropriate local offer that employers and learners value and are prepared to invest in.
	In the last Spending Review, the Government looked to protect overall levels of adult Further education (FE) funding. The funding for adult Teaching and Learning in 2014-15 is broadly the same as 2012-13. Over this parliament the Government has undertaken a radical reform programme enabling FE colleges to use their freedoms and flexibilities to provide the high quality skills their learners, local economy and businesses need. In line with government policies there is an increased drive for employer ownership of skills funding, a continuing growth, and reform of, the Apprenticeships programme and an opportunity for individuals aged 24 and over studying at Level 3 and 4 to have access to Loans to help meet up-front course fees.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and their operational arm, the Skills Funding Agency, are clear that FE colleges operating in the skills landscape must have robust sustainable business models, good financial controls and be resilient to change.
	The latest Skills Funding Statement is available at https://www.gov. uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/278529/bis-14-p172a-skills-funding-statement-2013-2016.pdf
	The letter to the sector is available at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/293516/140318_March_letter_to_ sector_FINAL__3_.pdf

Honours

Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of those in each of the six-monthly honours lists who have been awarded Knighthoods over the last five years were styled Professor.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The information requested concerning the number of honours recipients in the last five years at knighthood level described as holding the title of professor can be found in The London Gazette at www.london-gazette.co.uk.
	The percentage of recipients meeting the criteria in each honours list is as follows.
	
		
			 Knighthoods and damehoods 
			 Honours List Recipients at that level Recipients described as professor Percentage of recipients at that level 
			 NY 1991 36 4 11% 
			 BD 1991 33 5 15% 
			 NY 1992 33 2 6% 
			 BD 1992 36 3 8% 
			 NY 1993 37 4 11% 
			 BD 1993 33 2 6% 
			 NY 1994 33 8 24% 
			 BD 1994 36 8 22% 
			 NY 1995 32 7 22% 
			 BD 1995 35 7 20% 
			 NY 1996 34 8 24% 
			 BD 1996 31 5 16% 
			 NY 1997 35 2 6% 
			 BD 1997 25 6 24% 
			 NY 1998 29 6 21% 
			 BD 1998 35 8 23% 
			 NY 1999 34 5 15% 
			 BD 1999 33 5 15% 
			 NY 2000 51 13 25% 
			 BD 2000 33 6 18% 
			 NY 2001 32 5 16% 
			 BD 2001 34 10 29% 
			 NY 2002 32 10 31% 
			 BD 2002 33 6 18% 
			 NY 2003 31 7 23% 
			 BD 2003 33 7 21% 
			 NY 2004 34 7 21% 
			 BD 2004 32 7 22% 
			 NY 2005 30 7 23% 
			 BD 2005 27 7 26% 
			 NY 2006 30 6 20% 
			 BD 2006 28 7 25% 
			 NY 2007 30 9 30% 
			 BD 2007 29 9 31% 
			 NY 2008 27 9 33% 
			 BD 2008 26 7 27% 
			 NY 2009 27 6 22% 
			 BD 2009 25 9 36% 
			 NY 2010 26 8 31% 
			 BD 2010 26 10 38% 
			 NY 2011 30 10 33% 
			 BD 2011 30 9 30% 
			 NY2012 37 13 35% 
			 TOTAL 1373 299 22% 
		
	
	
		
			 CBE 
			 Honours List Recipients at that level Recipients described as professor Percentage of recipients at that level 
			 NY 1991 99 4 4% 
			 BD 1991 105 8 8% 
			 NY 1992 107 8 8% 
			 BD 1992 94 8 8% 
			 NY 1993 101 7 7% 
			 BD 1993 93 6 6% 
			 NY 1994 98 15 15% 
			 BD 1994 101 14 14% 
			 NY 1995 108 14 14% 
			 BD 1995 102 12 12% 
			 NY 1996 101 15 15% 
			 BD 1996 103 14 14% 
			 NY 1997 109 9 9% 
			 BD 1997 98 15 15% 
			 NY 1998 95 12 12% 
			 BD 1998 92 11 11% 
			 NY 1999 99 18 18% 
			 BD 1999 106 18 18% 
			 NY 2000 148 16 11% 
			 BD 2000 108 18 18% 
			 NY 2001 102 18 18% 
			 BD 2001 101 19 19% 
			 NY 2002 99 13 13% 
			 BD 2002 106 21 21% 
			 NY 2003 106 14 14% 
			 BD 2003 107 11 11% 
			 NY 2004 104 12 12% 
			 BD 2004 105 17 17% 
			 NY 2005 101 15 15% 
			 BD 2005 100 14 14% 
			 NY 2006 100 14 14% 
			 BD 2006 98 13 13% 
			 NY 2007 100 26 26% 
			 BD 2007 104 12 12% 
			 NY 2008 96 15 15% 
			 BD 2008 101 17 17% 
			 NY 2009 109 16 16% 
			 BD 2009 104 14 14% 
			 NY 2010 107 18 18% 
			 BD 2010 107 16 16% 
			 NY 2011 101 14 14% 
			 BD 2011 94 16 16% 
			 NY2012 94 24 24% 
			 TOTAL 4413 611 14%

Iraq

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when officials from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees or the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq last visited Camp Liberty in Iraq; and what is their assessment of the safety of the residents of that camp.

Baroness Warsi: We do not keep records of visits by external agencies to Camp Liberty, though the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq continues to monitor
	conditions at Camp Liberty regularly. They report that the provision of life support systems such as water, electricity and food continue to meet basic humanitarian standards. The Government of Iraq is responsible for security at Camp Liberty, and we do not make assessments of the safety of the camp’s residents.

Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the progress of the government of Israel in its investigation into the reported shooting of the Palestinian teenager Mohammed Dudeen.

Baroness Warsi: While the Government has not carried out an assessment on this issue, we understand that the investigation is ongoing. A report into the investigation should issue at its conclusion.

Legal Aid: Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many mandatory custodial sentences have been imposed under the provisions of section 142 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

Lord Faulks: The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 introduced the new offences of threatening with a knife or offensive weapon in a public place or school. These offences carry a mandatory minimum sentence of a four month Detention and Training Order for 16-17 year olds, and six months custody for adults.
	The latest available figures on the number of custodial sentence given for the offence of threatening with a knife or offensive weapon are available at table 8 of the Knife Possession Sentencing Quarterly Brief January – March 2014. This quarterly bulletin was published on 11 June 2014 and is available from the Ministry of Justice website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/knife-possession-sentencing-quarterly
	The figures provided have been drawn from an extract of the Police National Computer (PNC) data held by the Department. The PNC holds details of all convictions and cautions given for recordable offences committed in England and Wales. In addition, as with any large scale recording system the PNC is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	The Government is clear that people who are convicted of threatening with a knife should always go to prison. Sentencing in individual cases remains a matter for the
	courts and they may depart from the mandatory minimum custodial sentence if there are particular circumstances which would make it unjust to do so. Parliament has provided the courts with tough sentencing options. The Government is keeping this whole area under close scrutiny and the Sentencing Council are likely to provide further guidelines on knife offences in due course.

Money Laundering

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 17 June (WA 42), whether the current industry guidance, which has been approved by Treasury Ministers, has yet been issued; whether a risk-based approach under the Fourth Money Laundering Directive means that in the United Kingdom, United Kingdom parliamentarians will be treated as politically exposed persons; and, if so, whether the industry guidance will need to be revised.

Lord Deighton: A range of industry anti-money laundering guidance has been issued by bodies such as the Joint Money Laundering Steering Group (JMLSG). The last major revision of the JMLSG guidance was in 2011 although some detailed changes were made in 2013 and 2014. This material is published on the JMLSG website - http://www.jmlsg.org.uk/
	Discussions of the proposed Fourth Money Laundering Directive are continuing. The expectation is that in accordance with the updated global standards adopted by the Financial Action Task Force, domestic Politically Exposed Persons, including UK Parliamentarians may, on a risk-based assessment, be subject to enhanced due diligence.
	The Treasury expects that if the Directive is adopted and transposed into UK law, UK anti-money laundering guidance will need to be revised.

Northern Ireland Government

Lord Eames: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to re-examine the proposals of the Consultative Group on the Past in the light of current circumstances in Northern Ireland.

Baroness Randerson: The Government continues to urge the Northern Ireland parties to engage in discussions about how to deal with the past. I would expect that the work of the Consultative Group on the Past would continue to provide useful material for consideration in these discussions. The Government has been clear that it will not seek to impose any solutions and continues to encourage political leaders in Northern Ireland to work towards an agreement.

Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of Palestinian children (a) killed and (b) injured this year in the West Bank and Gaza.

Baroness Warsi: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not made an assessment of the number of children killed and injured in the West Bank and Gaza this year.

Patrick Finucane

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent representations they have received in relation to an inquiry into the death of Patrick Finucane in 1989 and from whom such representations were received.

Baroness Randerson: This Government’s position in relation to an inquiry into the death of Patrick Finucane has been clear for some time.
	We do not need a lengthy inquiry to tell us that there was collusion in this case; we have already accepted that and apologised to Mrs Finucane and her family. The De Silva Review report was published in December 2012 and the Prime Minister again apologised.
	The Government is engaged in legal proceedings on the matter and therefore it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.

Powers of Entry

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 29 January 2013 (WA 321), whether they have provided the final report to Parliament which was due by May 2014 setting out the findings of the full review of powers of entry required by the Protection of Freedom Act 2012.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The review of powers of entry has been carried out across Government. Departments are now completing their final reports which will then be laid before Parliament.

Prerogative of Mercy: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what searches have been undertaken to find the missing files on pre-1998 Northern Ireland royal prerogative of mercy cases; how many are absent; where the paperwork would normally be filed; and whether such paperwork is passed to the National Archives on a routine basis after 30 years.

Baroness Randerson: Before 1998, the use of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy (RPM) in Northern Ireland was relatively common since this pre-dated a number of statutory schemes which enabled sentences to be shortened for various reasons, for example where evidence had been given by prisoners to enable others to be convicted. The overwhelming majority of RPM cases during this period were not terrorist-related.
	The Northern Ireland Office continues to seek information on the use of the RPM between 1987 and 1997, including through contacts with other parts of Government which might hold relevant information.
	The NIO takes its records management responsibilities seriously and is compliant with all public records legislation and National Archives guidance. This includes routine reviews of records, compliance with records disposal schedules and transfers of records at 30 years to the National Archives.

Prerogative of Mercy: Northern Ireland

Lord Sharkey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 17 June (WA 49) about the royal prerogative of mercy, how they reconcile that answer with the Written Answer given by Lord McNally on 7 March 2012 (WA 425).

Baroness Randerson: The information provided by Lord McNally on 7 March 2012 was in respect of (a) pardons granted under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy (RPM) on the recommendation of the Secretary of State for Justice, which excluded the First World War servicemen’s pardons made under statute, and (b) exercises of the RPM in relation to Northern Ireland. My earlier response of 17 June 2014 referred to the Royal Prerogative of Mercy being exercised on the recommendation of previous Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland.
	For clarity, and to expand upon Lord McNally’s answer, until the devolution of policing and justice in 2010, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland was responsible for recommending the exercising of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy in relation to Northern Ireland. Following the devolution of policing and justice in 2010, the Northern Ireland Executive (specifically the Justice Minister for Northern Ireland) has responsibility for recommending the exercise of the RPM in Northern Ireland in relation to almost all matters. However, the Secretary of State for Northern
	Ireland retains responsibility for recommending the exercise of the RPM if it were ever to be used in terrorism cases.
	It was previous Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland who recommended the exercise of the RPM in relation to the 18 pre-devolution cases cited (that the Northern Ireland Office can confirm as having been granted since 1998); 16 of those cases were terrorism-related, as I referred to in my answer of 14 June. In addition to those, there were two non-terrorism related cases dating from the late 1990s prior to the devolution of policing and justice. Those 16 and the other two make up the total of 18 Northern Ireland cases identified since 1998, made on the recommendation of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Sri Lanka

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made any representations to the government of Sri Lanka regarding the murder of Muslims and the destruction of commercial property in Colombo.

Baroness Warsi: I refer my noble Lord to the reply I gave on 25 June 2014, Official Report, columns WA171-172.

Syria

Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the future environmental risk of the arrangements to neutralise Syria's chemical weapons at sea.

Baroness Warsi: The Chemical Weapons Convention requires that the highest priority is given to ensuring the safety of people and to protecting the environment when destroying chemical weapons, and the plan has been endorsed by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical by the Weapons. Waste products from this process will be stored safely and securely in industry standard containers, and will subsequently be disposed of in Germany and Finland, in accordance with national legislation. No waste from this process will be disposed of at sea.

Syria and Iraq

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are proposing in the United Nations to alleviate the situations in Syria and Iraq; and what assessment they have made of the likelihood of the United Nations taking such action.

Baroness Warsi: The UK is actively working with our partners, including the Friends of Syria Core Group (‘London 11’) and the UN in bringing about a sustainable solution to the crisis in Syria through a negotiated political transition by mutual consent - this is the principle in the Geneva Communiqué agreed by the UN, the League of Arab States and the UN Security Council.
	The UK is also at the forefront of the international response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria. Our total humanitarian funding for Syria and the region is now £600 million and we are leading efforts in the UN Security Council in pressing for a stronger Resolution that would give the UN’s humanitarian agencies the authority they have been asking for to deliver help to millions of Syrians in urgent need of humanitarian aid.
	The UK has also announced £5 million of humanitarian assistance in response to the situation in Iraq, where the situation is fast-moving and complex. There is a need for new international efforts and mechanisms to stem the flow of arms to extremist groups, cut off their finances and prevent them from exploiting the economic assets that they have seized. The UK will be making proposals for this work.

Territorial Waters

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 18 June (WA 38), on how many occasions since 2010 there have been unlawful incursions by naval or other vessels of other European Union countries into British territorial waters.

Baroness Warsi: There have been no unlawful incursions into British (UK) territorial waters by naval or other vessels of European Union countries other than Spain since 2010. Further to my written answer on 18 June (WA 38), there have been no unlawful incursions into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters by naval or other vessels of European Union countries other than Spain since 2010.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many suspects of terrorist-related offences have been given assurances by letter that they will not be subject to investigation.

Baroness Randerson: The administrative scheme relating to so-called “On the Runs” did not promise people that they would not be subject to investigation. Rather, the letters issued were only a statement of fact at a particular point in time that the individuals concerned were not sought for arrest.
	As the Noble Lord may be aware the Report by Lady Justice Hallett into the “On the Runs” administrative scheme will be published by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 17 July 2014.

UK Membership of EU

Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 24 June (WA 153–4), stating that “this Government is clear that membership of a reformed European Union is in the United Kingdom's interest”, what is their assessment of the United Kingdom's membership of an unreformed European Union.

Baroness Warsi: I refer the Noble Lord to the speech on the Future of the European Union by the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), on the 23 January 2013; and the speech on Britain and Europe by the Deputy Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr Clegg), on the 8th October 2013.

UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the priority markets for the UK Trade & Investment Defence and Security Organisation in 2014–15; and how they differ from those in each of the last five years.

Lord Livingston of Parkhead: The UKTI DSO Priority Markets for 2014-15 and the last 5 years are listed below.
	
		
			 2009/10 
			 Algeria 
			 Australia 
			 Brazil 
			 Denmark 
			 Greece 
			 India 
			 Iraq 
			 Japan 
			 Saudi Arabia 
			 Kuwait 
			 Libya 
			 Malaysia 
			 Mexico 
			 Oman 
			 South Africa 
			 South Korea 
			 Turkey 
		
	
	
		
			 UAE 
			 USA 
			 2010/11 
			 Algeria 
			 Australia 
			 Brazil 
			 Brunei 
			 India 
			 Iraq 
			 Japan 
			 Saudi Arabia 
			 Kuwait 
			 Libya 
			 Malaysia 
			 Mexico 
			 Oman 
			 Pakistan 
			 South Korea 
			 Turkey 
			 UAE 
			 USA 
			 2011/12 
			 Algeria 
			 Australia 
			 Brazil 
			 Brunei 
			 India 
			 Iraq 
			 Japan 
			 Saudi Arabia 
			 Kuwait 
			 Libya 
			 Malaysia 
			 Mexico 
			 Oman 
			 Pakistan 
			 South Korea 
			 Turkey 
			 UAE 
			 USA 
			 2012/13 
			 Australia 
			 Brazil 
			 Canada 
			 Europe/NATO/EU (as a collective market) 
			 India 
			 Indonesia 
			 Japan 
			 Saudi Arabia 
			 Kuwait 
			 Libya 
			 Malaysia 
			 Oman 
			 Qatar 
			 South Korea 
			 Thailand 
			 Turkey 
			 UAE 
			 USA 
			 2013/14 
			 Australia 
			 Brazil 
			 Canada 
			 Europe/NATO/EU (as a collective market) 
			 India 
			 Indonesia 
		
	
	
		
			 Japan 
			 Saudi Arabia 
			 Kuwait 
			 Libya 
			 Malaysia 
			 Oman 
			 Qatar 
			 South Korea 
			 Thailand 
			 Turkey 
			 UAE 
			 USA 
			 2014/15 
			 Australia 
			 Bahrain 
			 Brazil 
			 France 
			 India 
			 Indonesia 
			 Japan 
			 Saudi Arabia 
			 Kuwait 
			 Malaysia 
			 Oman 
			 Qatar 
			 South Korea 
			 Turkey 
			 UAE 
			 USA 
		
	
	A new list was not created in 2011-12 but the list created for 2010-11 remained extant.

UN Peacebuilding Commission

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will propose that the United Nations Peace Building Commission's mandate be enlarged to include conflict prevention and that its resources be increased.

Baroness Warsi: The United Nation’s Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) is already concerned with ensuring the international community is making efforts to prevent conflict in countries on the PBC agenda. The PBC’s mandate is to focus political attention on fragile states, bring together relevant international actors, and mobilise resources in order to help countries recover from conflict and avoid a relapse into conflict.
	There will be a thorough review of the UN’s Peacebuilding Architecture, including the PBC, in 2015, which will be an opportunity to improve the way in which the whole UN system helps countries affected by conflict and determine the most effective role that the PBC can play in the future.